A feather in the cap of country Australia

Elvis, Prince, Beyonce, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson all live happily together.

Dwayne is a Plymouth Rock chicken, joined by a supergroup of bantams, who roam free on a farm at Caloola, not far from the villages of Barry and Neville in central west NSW.

They are among Laura Breiner's flock of 150 birds, a collection of peacocks, chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl.

"The guinea fowl are little security guards; when a new car turns up, or there's a new dog, or something changes, they're the first ones to notice," Ms Breiner said.

"The personalities draw me to them and I name the ones with a unique trait.

"There's Hoppy because she hops around, there's turkeys Prince and Silver, there's King, Emerald, and Barry White, who is a white peacock."

Ms Breiner became particularly attached to a group of guinea fowl after they survived bushfires that tore through the western NSW property her husband was managing in 2017.

As the birds moulted, she collected their delicate black and white polka dot feathers and used them to make drop earrings.

She went on to found Featherdale Earrings and attracted customers with a love of nature and the bush.

"People connect to farm life, and they want to know more about how it works, but they can also see there's more going on in regional areas than farming."

Small businesses like Ms Breiner's are playing an increasingly vital role in country Australia, with growing awareness of the need to support rural economies during times of fires, floods and drought.

Small businesses are a vital source of off-farm income, often providing rural women with new opportunities and connecting them with a national market.

Ms Breiner, an environmental scientist, said running her own business from the farm had kept her afloat.

"A couple of years ago, I got really unwell, but when I was feeling well enough to make some earrings, it kept me going mentally and financially." 

Years into the business, the symbolism in her accessories, including brooches and hat pins, runs deep. 

She uses moulted feathers from native birds like lorikeets and enigmatic red tailed cockatoos, under a specialist licence from the state government.

When people see a native feather dangling from an ear, or tucked in a hat, or worn on a collar, Ms Breiner hopes they are reminded of Australian nature.

"People want to buy something that's pretty and they want to look good, but there's a passion inside me for the environment.

"So much has been destroyed quickly in Australia, from settlement to today.

"We need to protect what we have left and continue to try and inspire people to appreciate our biodiversity."